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(No ModeL) T. SOETBBBR.

GAR STARTER. No. 274,399, Patented Mar.20, 1883.

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UNITED STATES Enron- PATENT THEODOR SOETBEER, OF NEW YORK, Y.

CAR-STARTER.

No. 274,399, dated March 20, 1883.

Application filed January 9, 1883. (No model.)

i the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new andImproved Car-Starter, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription.

The object of this invention is to devise means, more especiallyintended for use on street-ears, whereby the force required to stop thecarmay be stored up and used in starting the car. 7

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part ofthis specification, in which similar letters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a plan view of the bottom of a street-car having myinvention applied to one of the axles thereof. Fig. 2 is a detailedelevation of the axle and pinion, showing the starting and stoppingracks in transverse section; and Fig. 3 is a plan view of the startingand stopping racks.

A represents the spring. B represents the pinion, placed loosely uponthe square axle G. D represents the stopping'and E the starting rack,attached at their rear ends to one end of the spring A; and F Frepresent cams for shifting the pinion for stopping, locking, andstarting the car. These cams are operated by the connecting-rods G G,attached-t0 them and to the cog-wheel H, which is adapted to be turnedin either direction by the pinion J attached to the vertical brake-rodK, as will be understood from Fig. 1.

It is designed to provide both axles of the car with starting devices,and for this purpose 1 make the spring A s-shaped, so that both of itsends may be utilized, requiring but a single spring for both sets ofstarting devices; and I attach the spring A to the bottom L of the carby means of the staples a a.

The pinion B is made with the reduced portion 1), larger portion b,'andreduced plain portion 11*.

The stopping and starting racks are attached together at {their ends, asshown at f f, and are pivoted to the end of the spring A by the pivot g,and the starting-rack E has rack-teeth only for a short distance, asshown at h in Fig. 3, and passes over orabove the axle O and rests incontact (except as hereinafter described) with the larger portion 1) ofthe pinion B. The stopping-rack D has teeth nearly its whole length, asshown at 11/, passes under the axle (J, and is held up in contact(except as hereinafter described) with the reduced portion 11 of thepinion by the guide-staples d d. The starting-rack E also passes throughthese guide-staples, which serve to hold the racks firmly and securelyin place.

The operation of the device is as follows.- When the car is in motionthe pinion B will have been shoved along upon the axle G by the cam F,so that the reduced portion 12 of the pinion will stand to one side ofthe stoppingrack D, as shown in Fig. 1, and the spring A will have movedthe racks D E forward until the teeth h of the starting-rack E willstand in front of the teeth of the larger portion 1) of the pinion,leaving the plain portion of the rack E resting nponthelarger portion 1)of the pinion. In this position it will be seen that the racks E D in nomanner interfere with the free revolution of the axle O or the movementof the car'in either direction. When it is desired to stop the car thebrake-rod K will be turned so as to cause the cam F to shove the pinionon the axle O to the position shown in Fig. 2, in which position thepinionwill stand to one side of the starting-rack and the teeth of thereduced portion b will engage the teeth of the stopping-rack D, and thusthe forward movement of the car will cause the rack D (carrying the rackE with it) to he moved forcibly back against the spring A, causing it tobe compressed and to act as a brake to the axle and car. The car havingcome to a full stop, the brake-rod K will be turned so as to cause thecam F to shove the pinion B to a position intermediate between thepositions shown in Figs. 1 and 2, in which position the teeth of thereduced portion 3) will still engage the teeth of the rack D, and theteethof the larger portion 1) will engage the teeth hof the rack E,which will lock the springA in its compressed state and hold the car atrest. Now, to start the car the rod K will he turned still further tocause the cam F to shove the pinion B along on the axle C until theteeth of the reduced portion 1) disengage the teeth of the stopping-rackD, whereupon the force of the spring A will force the racks forward, andthis force will be applied through the startingraclr E to the upper sideof the pinion B, causing so that there will be no danger of the pinioncoming to a dead stop against the teeth of either rack.

The object in making the pinion B with the reduced portion 1) and largerportion I) is so that the backward movement of the racks will not be toorapid, and so that the force of the spring A will be augmented in thestarting of the car.

Havingthus described my invention, Iclaim as new and desire to secure byLetters Paten t 1. In a car-starter, the wheel H, adapted to be rotatedby any suitable means, the rods G G, end pivoted to opposite sides ofsaid wheel, and the pivoted cams F F, in combination with aslide-pinion,B, whereby said pinion will described.

2. In a car-starter, the loose shifting-pinion B, having the large spurportion b, the small spur portion b, and the plain portion 12 and theend connected bars, D E, having respectively the opposite long and shortracks h h, in combination with axle 0, whereby the actuatingspring maybe made to operate in either or in be alternately moved in oppositedirections, as

neither direction according to the position of 3 5 the wheel, asdescribed.

3. The racks D E, pivoted to the spring A, in combination with thepinion B, cams F F, rods G G, wheels H and J, and vertical shaft K, asand for the purposes set forth.

4. The rack D, having the teeth h, extending its whole length ornearlyits wholelength, and the rack E, having the teeth h, extendingonly a portion of its length, in combination with the pinionB, adaptedto slide upon the axle O, as and for the purposes set forth.

THEODOR SOETBEEB.

Witnesses:

H. A. WEsT, O. SEDGWIGK.

